IMPLANTABLE PULSE GENERATOR WITH A STACKED CAPACITOR, BATTERY, AND ELECTRONICS

• US 20080091246A1
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Cardiac Pacemakers Incorporated (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Blood, James E., Meyer, Steven J., Sherwood, Gregory J., Carey, Bart A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,874,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/36
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/375 Constructional arrangements, e.g. casings
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3758 Packaging of the components within the casing
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/378 Electrical supply
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 16/00 Structural combinations of different types of electrochemical generators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

One embodiment of the present subject matter includes an implantable medical device which includes a first power source comprising a first plurality of substantially planar electrodes, the first power source including at least a first power source face, an electronics module including a first substantially planar electronics face, and a second electronics face opposed to the first substantially planar electronics face, with the first substantially planar electronics face adjacent to, and substantially coextensive with, the first power source face and a second power source comprising a second plurality of substantially planar electrodes, the second power source positioned adjacent to and adapted to interface with the second electronics face.

Claims

1. An implantable medical device, comprising:

a first power source comprising a first plurality of substantially planar electrodes, the first power source including at least a first power source face;

an electronics module including a first substantially planar electronics face, and a second electronics face substantially opposed to the first substantially planar electronics face; and

a second power source comprising a second plurality of substantially planar electrodes,

wherein the first power source, the electronics module, and the second power source are arranged such that the first substantially planar electronics face is adjacent to, and substantially coextensive with, the first power source face, and the second power source is positioned adjacent to, and adapted to interface with, the second electronics face.

2. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the first power source is a capacitor.

3. The implantable medical device of claim 2, wherein the second power source is a battery.

4. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the first power source is a battery.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the second electronics face includes a topography which, along the second electronics face, varies in orthogonal distance from the first substantially planar electronics face.

6. The implantable medical device of claim 5, wherein the second electronics face comprises a substantially planar portion opposed to the first substantially planar electronics face, which is adapted to interface with the second power source.

7. The implantable medical device of claim 6, wherein the substantially planar portion is a first orthogonal distance from the first substantially planar electronics face, and a transformer extends a second orthogonal distance from the first substantially planar electronics face, the second orthogonal distance being greater than the first orthogonal distance.

8. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of substantially planar electrodes include at least two different shapes.

9. The implantable medical device of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of substantially planar electrodes include at least two different shapes.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first power source is a battery and the second power source is a capacitor, and the battery and the capacitor are adapted to deliver from about 1.25 Joules per Amp hour of battery capacity to about 50 Joules per amp hour of battery capacity.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the battery includes a battery capacity density of from about 0.23 amp hours per cubic centimeter to about 0.25 amp hours per cubic centimeter.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the capacitor includes an energy density of from about 4.65 joules per cubic centimeter to 6.5 joules per cubic centimeter.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first power source is a battery, the first power source face is substantially planar, and the second power source is a capacitor and further comprising:

a battery face of the battery opposed to the first power source face, with a battery sidewall extending between the battery face and the first power source face; and

a first planar capacitor face opposed to a second capacitor face, with a capacitor sidewall extending between the first capacitor face and the second capacitor face,

wherein the battery sidewall and the capacitor sidewall define a substantially continuous surface.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of substantially planar electrodes are disposed parallel the planar first power source face.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the second plurality of substantially planar electrodes are disposed parallel the second electronics face.

16. A method of assembling an implantable medical device, comprising:

layering into a stack a first power source including a first power source face, a second power source, and an electronics module including an electronics module face, such that a first power source face is substantially coextensive with a first electronics module face perimeter; and

encapsulating the stack with at least a first housing portion and a second housing portion which opposes the first housing portion, the first and second housing portions at least partially defining an interior,

wherein the first housing portion is selected from a plurality of housing portions based on a thickness of the stack.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising trimming at least two housing portions to populate the plurality of housing portions.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising hermetically sealing the first and second housing portions.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting the ratio between the first power source and the second power source.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising stacking a first plurality of substantially planar electrodes in a first stack, which is disposed in a first housing of the first power source, the first plurality of substantially planar electrodes being substantially parallel to the first power source face.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising stacking a second plurality of substantially planar electrodes in a second stack, which is disposed in a second housing of the second power source, the second plurality of substantially planar electrodes being substantially parallel to the second power source face.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

stacking a plurality of flat battery layers into the battery stack using a stacking process; and

stacking a plurality of flat capacitor layers into the capacitor stack using the stacking process.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the stacking process includes a first pick-and-place machine.

24. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting the first power source from a plurality of power sources, with each of the plurality of power sources including a respective power source face sized to be substantially coextensive to the first electronics module face, with each of the plurality of power sources including a respective power source capacity corresponding to a respective power source thickness measured away from the respective power source face.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising selecting the second power source from a plurality of power sources, with each of the plurality of power sources being adapted to interface with the second electronics face.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein the first electronics perimeter defines a plane which is orthogonal to the direction of layering.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the first housing portion is trimmed, with the trim line defining a plane which is substantially orthogonal to the direction of layering of the stack.

28. An apparatus, comprising:

electronics module means for generating electrical pulses;

a hermetically sealed implantable device housing in which the electronics module is disposed; and

battery means and capacitor means for layering into a stack with the electronics module means such that the stack thickness correlates to the thickness of the housing,

wherein the stack is disposed in the hermetically sealed implantable device housing.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the capacitor means has a capacitor form factor, the battery means has a battery form factor, and the electronics module means has an electronics module form factor, and the overall form factor defined by the battery form factor, the electronics module form factor, and the capacitor form factor, in adjacent relationship, is substantially smooth.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the capacitor means has a capacitor sidewall which is coplanar with an electronics module sidewall of the electronics module.

31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the battery means has a battery sidewall which is coplanar with an electronics module sidewall of the electronics module.

32. An implantable medical device, comprising:

a first power source comprising a first plurality of substantially planar electrodes, the first power source including at least a first power source face;

a second power source comprising a second plurality of substantially planar electrodes, the second power source including a second power source face and a third power source face; and

an electronics module including an electronics face,

wherein the first power source, the electronics module, and the second power source are arranged such that the first power source face is adjacent to and coextensive with the second power source face, and the second power source face is adjacent to and coextensive with the electronics face.

33. The implantable medical device of claim 32, wherein the first power source is a capacitor.

34. The implantable medical device of claim 33, wherein the second power source is a battery.

35. The implantable medical device of claim 32, wherein the first plurality of substantially planar electrodes include at least two different shapes.

36. The implantable medical device of claim 35, wherein the second plurality of substantially planar electrodes include at least two different shapes.